Abbott asks state departments to tally costs of immigrant surge

AUSTIN – Attorney General Greg Abbott said Thursday that Texas taxpayers could end up footing a bill upwards of $50 million to address the influx of child migrants crossing the border, an early estimate from the state's top lawyer who is weighing a legal challenge if the Obama administration refuses to reimburse the state.

Signaling that Abbott, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, is looking to recoup costs beyond those incurred from a recently approved border surge of law enforcement, which will total more than $35 million through 2014, his office has asked state agencies to provide an estimate of money they have spent as the result of illegal immigration.

Abbott on Thursday said his first course of action is to get an accurate accounting of state money spent on illegal immigration and to formally ask for reimbursement.

Previous requests and demands by state leaders for federal reimbursement have been unsuccessful.

If his request fails, Abbott could lodge what would be one of his most high-profile lawsuits against the Obama administration, while an international humanitarian crisis and a gubernatorial race play out.

"When I say $50 million, it is nothing more than a very rough ballpark estimate. It could be far greater," Abbott said, noting that the figure could rise if the state ends up paying to educate some of the child migrants.

Abbott's office has asked state agencies to document spending on illegal immigration dating back to June 2012, when Obama announced his policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which allows some young immigrants in the country illegally a two-year reprieve from deportation and a chance to apply for work permits.

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Deferred Action only applies to immigrants who have been in the country since 2007, and were in the country illegally on the day Obama announced the policy, but officials have said many of those flooding across the border today do not understand that they would not benefit.

The bulk of the costs Texas is incurring are related to a $1.3 million-a-week increase in law enforcement boots on the border, but Abbott pointed out that a final reimbursement figure will not be known until state agencies report back.

Obama on Tuesday asked Congress for $3.73 billion in emergency appropriations to address the border crisis.

Abbott, who previously had asked the feds to give Texas $30 million to help secure the border, said it is his understanding that the president's plan does not put aside money to "reimburse any Texas state agencies for costs that Texas taxpayers may have incurred because of this."

"We believe that is offensive to Texas taxpayers," he said.

In a Tuesday letter to state agency heads, First Assistant Attorney General Daniel Hodge wrote, "we are requesting that your agency provide us with any documentation, data, analyses, and cost estimate that reflect costs incurred by your agency since June 2012, as well as anticipated costs through the current budget cycle resulting from or related to any unauthorized immigration."

The letter asks that agencies respond by Aug. 1.

Abbott's Democratic opponent, Fort Worth Sen. Wendy Davis, has said the federal government should foot the entire cost of border enforcement.